Shipping advice and help

[mavericks7913]

I finally found Macintosh Classic 2 that I wanted to buy!!!

But Im still not familiar with shipping system from USPS, FedEx, and UPS.

I checked the spec of Macintosh Classic for its weight and size. I got $20 from USPS and $18 from FedEx but in real life, they charged me much more. I had to assume they charge differently or I misunderstanding the system.

Im trying to get as cheap as possible even it takes time to ship but I heard that CRT monitor is quite fragile and sensitive to shake and vibration so idk if I just ask him to get the cheapest shipping price and then pay another money for packing?

Any bits of advice?

 

[velocityg4]

If you don't know then prepack. Pack it up in a box as if you are going to ship it. Then get a fairly accurate weight measurement. For large heavier items I use my bathroom scale and calculate the difference in my weight with and without the box. I always add a little to the weight to cover a possible underage.

Then input into USPS, UPS, Fedex, &c anything relevant. Details such as box dimensions, shipping weight, additional services, distance and method (air, ground). Never use the basic calculator. You want to use the advanced option to provide as many details as possible. Make sure it is a service your shipment qualifies for like Media mail won't work nor some other cheaper freight options.

Check if they have a box which will work. There are often lower rates if you use a standardized box provided by the shipper. Since they can stack it efficiently. It can reduce shipping costs but not always.

Avoid odd shaped boxes. It should be some sort of rectangular cuboid. If there are any odd angles or rounding. It could cost considerably more. Since they can't stack anything on top. So don't try to save by doing something custom. It will probably cost more than just getting bigger box.

If you are using eBay. You can input all this info. Be sure in your account options to disable international buyers. Otherwise someone in another country can make the purchase. Unless you don't care. I don't for low value but do for high value. Also with eBay use the actual cost method for shipping rather than a blanket shipping fee. You'll get better bids. If there is a lot of packing material involved. eBay allows you to add a base amount to the shipping cost.